Not everyone can spend hours at the gym each week. If you struggle to fit workouts into your busy schedule, metabolic resistance training (MRT) might be the perfect solution. This high-intensity circuit technique keeps your heart rate elevated while you bust out more reps in a shorter period of time. You may find that you need to reduce the weight a bit in order to perform so many reps with no rest, but that’s fine; the goal of MRT is to move constantly, not set PRs. You’ll burn calories, increase strength, and improve your cardiovascular fitness in one fell swoop — all without having to step on a treadmill!

massive amounts of muscle, because it burns so many calories and uses a high-rep/low- weight protocol.

The Science Behind MRT

High-rep/high-volume workouts stimulate muscle protein synthesis (the process by which muscle is built) more effectively than splits that work single body parts. But perhaps the best part of metabolic resistance training occurs after you leave the gym. Because it takes longer for your body to return to its resting metabolic state after such an intense workout, you continue to burn extra calories in the hours and days after MRT, an effect commonly referred to as the “afterburn.”

of time; you don’t want your heart rate to go down while you walk between stations or mess around loading the bar. Do compound movements like dumbbell chest presses, burpees, and goblet squats to work multiple muscle groups at once. Metabolic resistance training is a hard workout and not for the faint of heart. But by pushing yourself outside your comfort zone, you’ll see greater results and have more time to spend on the other things you enjoy.

The Benefits of Metabolic Resistance Training

How to Set Up an MRT Circuit

MRT offers the biggest bang for your fitness buck by squeezing as much work as possible into each workout. While this technique is the perfect way to build strength, lean out, and increase cardiovascular health all at once, it may not be ideal for anyone trying to add

The key to metabolic resistance training is to keep your rest periods short, so choose exercises you can perform in one spot (or close together), and set up your equipment ahead